Mechanical instrument holder



Jan. 18, 1949.

E. E. HARPER MECHANI CAL INSTRUMENT HOLDER Filed July 16, 1945 m y I k yINVENTOR- 3 Ema/"5 Harper M deceased 5y Esf/wr/F/Va/pg; a: Tn-x,

' ATTORNE).

Patented Jan. 18, 1949 MECHANICAL INSTRUMENT HOLDER Elmer E. Harper,deceased, late of Monrovia, Calif., by Esther Pardee Harper, executrix,

Monrovia, Calif.

Application July'16, 1945, Serial No. 605,384

1 Claim.

The present invention has reference to mechanical holders for pencilleads, marking instruments or like elements, wherein a holder isprovided with mechanical means for projecting or feeding and holding thelead or other element, such as a marking device, tool or the like, inposition for use.

One primary object of the invention is to provide an extremely simpleand inexpensive construction adapted to fulfill all the requirements asregards firmly holding of the lead orother element against any casualmovement and protecting it from breakage, for example; and also foreffectively feeding the lead as needed with a positive and certainfeeding action which will, moreover, permit retraction within the holderwhen desired.

For accomplishing such purpose the invention provides a holder memberwhich may be constructed economically from sheet material to provide alead gripping bore which continuously grips the lead throughout itslength, thereby obviating any possibility of casual lateral movement andconfining the lead solely to longitudinal movement within said bore. Thelongitudinal movement required for feeding action is produced by a novelform of propelling device adapted to both feed the lead and also efi'ectan automatic locking action with n the lead passage or channel forpreventing any retracting movement except when permitted by acorresponding retraction of said propeller on the part of the user.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a construction ofthis general character which is readily adapted for manufacture invarious different types or designs to conform to somewhat differentrequirements, such as to accommodate a supply of the lead or otherelements. as well as to provide means for attachment of an eraser ifdesired.

Havin these general objects in view the invention will now be describedmore particularly by reference to the accompanying drawing illustratingsuitable forms of embodiment of the improved construction, followingwhich the features .and combinations thereof believed to be novel andpatentable will be duly set forth and claimed.

2 In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of the improvedholder device;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof;

Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views representing sectionstaken on the lines 3-3 and 4.4 respectively, of Figure 1, but on alarger scale;

Figures 5 and 6 are plan and side views respectively, of a modified formof the holder device; I

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, representing asection taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figures 8 and 9 are plan and side views respectively, of a furthermodified form of the holder construction; and

- Figure 10 is an enlarged transverse sectional View, representing asection taken on the line l0l0 of Figure 9. 1

The present mechanical holder construction is in some general respectssimilar to thatillustrated in Patent No. 2,759,133 granted October 14,1941, in that a tubular bore or channel is pro vided for the lead and apropelling device feeds the lead by abutting one end thereof but withoutgripping engagement therewith. The structure of the propelling deviceshown in said patent and the means required for holding the same are notparticularly adapted for providing a closefitting bore or channel forthe lead; and the'provision of such close-fitting channel structure andat the same time greatly simplifying the construotion and operation ofthe propeller device itself, constitutes a prime object of the presentimprovement.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, and in the first instance toFigures 1 to 4, these views illustrate a form of the device whichapproaches a somewhat rectangular contour in cross-section, as indicatedin Figures 3 and 4. This type of construction comprises sections l and 5of suitable strip material, such as metal, plastic and the like orcombinations thereof, which are shaped as illustrated in Figures 3 and4, so that the section 4 provides a fiat face 5 and inturned sides 1having outturned edges 8; whereas the other section 5 is formed withinturned edges I0 which hook over the edges 8"of the section 4, and itslongitudinal central portion is depressed and shaped to provide alongitudinal channel or bore I2 of a size adapted to lightly grip thepencil lead l4 or other elements (such as scribers and the like) to beused therein.

At one end of the channel or bore 12 the parts are turned and swagedinto tapered form, whereby the holder sections 4 and 5 are securelylocked together, and the usual feed opening I6 is also provided throughwhich the end of the lead is projected.

The channel or bore i2 is closed along its side) with the exception of alongitudinal slot l8 left for operation of the propeller device; but thesize of said bore is carefully gaged so that the sides of the channelwill, by virtue of the resilient or springy action of the material,exert a light gripping action sufficient to hold the lead in positionexcept when purposely moved by the propeller device or by a definitepressure on the projecting end of the lead.

The form of propeller device which is found most effective for thedesired purpose consists of a knob having a shank portion 22 fortraversing the aforesaid slot 18 (see Figure 4) and a key or lug portion22 of somewhat larger diameter than the slot and of sufficient smallerdiameter than the bore l2 to permit of limited longitudinal rockingmovement therein. To the forward end of the knob 20 is secured a curvedwire-like spring 26 of a diameter substantiallyjthe same as the slot i8and projecting therethrough into position for abut-ting engagement withthe inner end of the lead [4, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Thepropelling device is thus keyed to the channel or bore I! inlongitudinal sliding relation thereto, and the spring 26 is so attachedto the propeller body as to maintain the latter in normally slightlytilted position (as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2) whereby theends of the key or lug portion 24 are maintained in clutched or grippingengagement with the interior of said channel. The arrangement andproportions are such that this gripping action is adequate to withstandany counterthrust or back-feeding tendency resulting from any ordinarypressures applied to the tip end of the lead in the average use of thesame.

By means of the described construction a holder device is providedwhereby the lead or other element I4 is effectively and uniformly heldwith a light gripping action throughout its entire length so that it cannot casually slipiout of the channel or bore I2, and at the same time issubject to any desired feeding or adjusting movement as produced byeither the propelling device or a light pressure on the outer end of thelead. Thus the necessity for any special spring or gripping means forholding the lead in place, such as ordinarily characterizes mechanicalholders'in this class of devices, is entirely eliminated. Moreover thepropeller device provides an extremely effective means or mechanism fornot only feeding the lead as required but also rigidly holding the samein any position; at the same time the propeller may be readilydisengaged from its clutched or locking engagement with the channel bylight thumb pressure on the knob 28, in opposition to the spring action,for effecting a sort of toggle movement which slightly rocks the keyportion 24 and thereby releases the propeller for free sliding movement(as represented by the full lines in Figure 2).

The described construction is also adapted for the attachment of apractical eraser assembly comprising an eraser element 30 embraced by atubular holder 32 which is split longitudinally as indicated at 34 andadapted to be telescoped over the end of one of the holder sections, asfor example the section 4 having an extension formed with suitable barbsor burs 35 or the like for adjustable retaining engagement with theeraser. A generous sized eraser block may thus be mounted for convenientadjustment and also for'serving as a stopper for the open end of thechamber comprising the interior of the holder sections, which mayobviously be used for storage of spare lead elements, etc.

The remaining views of thedrawi'ng illustrate modified forms ofconstruction making use of but one strip or section of material for theholder shaft.

In Figures 4 to 7, the construction comprises such a single strip orsection of material 4 shaped into triangular section form, with thelongitudinal edges overlapped as represented at [0 in Figure 7. Theformation of the lead bore or channel l2 in symmetrical longitudinallycentral relation, inside the holder and providing a storage spacetherein, is the same as before.

In Figures 8 to 10, a flat type of construction is provided byeliminating the triangular portion, together with the storage feature,and simply clamping the side edges of the strip 4" intobead form, asillustrated at ill" in Figure 10.

In both these modifications the structure of the propeller device andother features, and the-operation therof, remain the same.

It will therefore be apparent that the improved device provides a holderconstruction which embodies not only all the most vital points orfeatures which are regarded as indispensable in mechanical holders ofthis class but also other new and superior advantages as regards thesimplicity of the propelling or feeding means and the uniform holding orclasping of the lead element throughout its entire length. Due to suchimproved feature the lead is prevented from dropping out for lack ofother special gripping means, and can not bend or break inside theholder, and consequently there is no jamming nor any waste of lead frombroken sections dropping out. In fact, the improved holder can becharged and operated with a plurality of broken or short lead sectionsas well and efficiently as with a single length of lead; and moreoverthe position of the propeller device provides a constant and certainindex as to the amount of lead ready for instant use. Again it is to benoted that the improved holder device can be operated entirely andconveniently by the 'use of one hand only; and if desired a suitableclip may of course be provided for pocket use.

Accordingly, while I haveillustrated preferred and entirely practicalforms and modificationsof the improved holder construction, I desire tobe understood as expressly reserving the right to all such changes orvariations in the construction as may be deemed to fall within. thespirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

Mechanical holder means of the type described comprising, a bodyrnemberin pencil form and constructed with a channel portion having alongitudinal slot and providing a longitudinal instrument bore having anend-outlet opening, and a propelling device operative along saidslo'tand comprising a knob provided with a spring REFERENCES CITED *Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent;

I UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 561,734 Steele June 9, 1896613,453 Lippincott Nov. 1, 1898 903,873 Lamson Nov. 17, 1908 1,307,159Steelreath June 17, 1919 1,679,382 Sjobring Aug. 7, 1928 1,849,914Delvin Mar. 15, 1932 2,259,133 Harper Oct. 14, 1941 2,306,954 KattenhornDec. 29, 1942 2,314,777 Farrington Mar. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 582,484 Germany Aug. 16, 1933

